At least two dead in Georgia after storms strike the south, including beloved restaurant owner

The beloved owner of a Georgia restaurant was traveling to work when severe weather struck the Atlanta-area, toppling trees and power lines onto his vehicle shortly after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the region.

Friends and family said Scot Hudson never arrived Monday at Hudson’s Hickory House, which has been open in Douglasville since 1971. A Douglas County spokesman Rick Martin confirmed the 60-year-old did not survive his commute to the popular food joint, well-known for its southern-style BBQ plates.

“He was a kind human being, and just nice,” friend Carolyn Brock told WSB-TV. “Just always friendly. You couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

Hudson’s Hickory House said in a Facebook post it would be closed to customers to give staff and members of the community time to mourn.

“Thank you for your understanding! Please keep the Hudson family in your prayers,” it reads.

Carla Harris, who resided in the community of Bonaire, just southeast of Warner Robins, was also killed amid the weather on Monday, which included severe thunderstorms and gusts of winds up to 60 mph. According to the Houston County Emergency Management Agency, the 55-year-old woman was fatally struck by a tree that fell on and through her home.

A huge portion of the south remained at risk on Tuesday after tornadoes tore through parts of the region Sunday night and into Monday, causing heavy damage in some parts of Mississippi and flipping trucks in Texas.

Parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, as well as corners of Arkansas and Georgia are at enhanced risk and will likely bare the brunt of the severe weather, according to the national Storm Prediction Center. That area — which includes major cities like Nashville, Tenn., Birmingham Ala., Baton Rouge La., and Jackson, Miss. — is home to more than 11 million people.

The upcoming storms could bring wind gusts of up to 70 mph and hail to the size of golf balls, forecasters predicted, adding that “tornadoes are likely Tuesday into Tuesday evening” across parts of Mississippi.

As of Tuesday morning, an estimated 100,000 customers were already without electricity, including nearly 40,000 in Arkansas, 31,000 in Tennessee and 22,000 in Kentucky, according poweroutage.us.

Several warnings were also issued Tuesday morning for rural areas east of Nashville, Tenn.

With News Wire Services